If Glengoyne 15 is your bottle, the first thing I'd want to know is whether there's something close to it for less. There is, and it comes from the same still. Glengoyne 12, at $109, gives a Glengoyne 15 drinker about 93% of what their own bottle does. Same house, a little less across the counter — that's the whole point of this piece, so let me show my working.
Start with the bottle in hand. Glengoyne reworked its core range a few years back, and the 15 arrived as part of that, matured in sherry casks. The nose is vanilla, ginger and toffee, with a note of old leather and some sweet fruit behind it. The palate runs a touch oily, with lively spice, raisins, hazelnuts and oak. The finish is medium and stays spicy to the end, with cocoa powder. It's a warm, sherried dram that doesn't ask much of you.
This week it's $130 for members at Dan Murphy's. Costed as a pour at home, that's about $5.47 a standard drink, and there are roughly 24 standard drinks in the bottle — a little under the $6.28 a standard drink of a $13 pint at the pub.
| slot | 08-13 | 08-20 | 08-27 | 09-03 | 09-10 | 09-17 | 09-24 | 10-01 | 10-08 | 10-15 | 10-22 | 10-29 | 11-05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list / member | 161.99 observed | 161.99 observed | 161.99 observed | 161.99 observed | 161.99 m 130.00 observed | 161.99 m 130.00 observed | 161.99 m 130.00 observed | 161.99 m 130.00 observed | 161.99 observed | 161.99 observed | 161.99 observed | 161.99 observed | 161.99 m 130.00 observed |
| basis | mean | median | sd | min | max | range | cv | se mean | latest | own-range pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 161.99 | 161.99 | 0.00 | 161.99 | 161.99 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 161.99 | 100 |
| member | 149.69 | 161.99 | 16.20 | 130.00 | 161.99 | 31.99 | 10.8% | 4.49 | 130.00 | 38 |
| moments | m1 mean | m2 var | m3 skew | m4 ex-kurt | 95% band of the mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 161.99 | 0.00 | null | null | 162.0 – 162.0 |
Glenfiddich 18 opens on oak and fresh apple wound through barley, then settles into fruit cake and Christmas pudding warmed with cinnamon, smooth and easy, a pour that suits anyone easing into a long evening. This week it's $175 at Dan Murphy's. More in this week's piece.
Fond of Glenfiddich 18? A Glenfiddich 18 drinker gets about 95% of what that bottle gives from Glengoyne 15, at 74% of the price, and it's $130 for members this week. Sherry, vanilla, a little ginger. Pour one and see. More in this week's piece on Glenfiddich 18.
Glenfiddich 18 opens on oak and fresh apple, then a smooth palate of fruit cake and cinnamon. Hand it to an Edradour 10 drinker and they'd pay 71% of what their own bottle costs, marking it down for the extra years. More on Glenfiddich 18 in this week's piece.
I noticed the apple and toffee on the Glenfiddich 18 first, then oak, barley and a warm cinnamon spice through the finish. At $175 it works out to $7.92 a pour at home, a touch over a $13 pint at the pub. More on it in this week's piece.
The Glenfiddich 18 is $175 at Dan Murphy's this week, which is right where it usually sells, so I'd call it a steady price rather than a moment to pounce. I've pulled the whole picture together in this week's piece, if you want the neighbours and the pours set out beside it.
Where does Glengoyne 15 land with its neighbours? An Edradour 10 drinker would pay 85% of what their own bottle costs for it, docking it for the extra years. One for the sherried-malt drinker. Pour the two side by side — more in this week's piece.
Glengoyne 15 is $130 this week at Dan Murphy's, about 24 standard drinks in the bottle, so a pour at home runs $5.47 a drink, 215th of 310 that way. A pint at the pub sits near $6.28 a standard drink. Pour one and see where it lands for you. More in this week's piece.
I keep noticing Glenfiddich 18 turning up in good company. Some whiskies have fans. This one has friends: other bottles that sit close to it, and drinkers who keep it within reach.
Glengoyne's ladder, three rungs this week. The 10 at $99, the 12 at $89, the 15 at $162 — three steps up the one house style. What does each step up actually get you? And what does the younger bottle give the drinker of the older one? Let's climb.
If Glenfiddich 18 is your pour and you fancy spending a little less, the nearest answer wears the same name. Glenfiddich 15, at $140, gives a Glenfiddich 18 drinker about 96% of what their own bottle does. Same distillery, three fewer years, and very little left behind.
| # | candidate | price | CEARP | price − CEARP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $174.90 | $155.51 | +19.39 |
| 2 | Glencadam 15YO Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $150.00 | $150.58 | -0.58 |
| 3 | Glengoyne 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $93.00 | $148.82 | -55.82 |
| 4 | Glengoyne 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $275.99 | $146.58 | +129.41 |
| 5 | Edradour 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $111.99 | $143.75 | -31.76 |
| 6 | Glengoyne 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $360.99 | $142.24 | +218.75 |
| 7 | Glencadam 10 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $106.99 | $140.31 | -33.32 |
| 8 | Glengoyne 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $98.99 | $139.41 | -40.42 |
| 9 | The GlenDronach 15 Year Old Revival Whisky 700mL | $175.99 | $138.02 | +37.97 |
| 10 | Glenmorangie The Quinta Ruban 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | $146.99 | $136.64 | +10.35 |